Requirements for public opinion research reports
Learn about the information that must be included in Government of Canada public opinion research reports.
On this page
Public opinion research report mandatory elements
- Cover page
- Copyright section
- Narrative executive summary
- Political neutrality certification
- Research findings
- Appendices
Cover page
The cover page must include the:
- title of the research project
- name of the research firm that entered into the contract
- contract number, the contract value and the award and delivery dates
- registration number provided by the Public Opinion Research Directorate
- name and email address of the client department sponsoring the research study
- departmental signature and the Canada wordmark
- alternative language statement, if the report is provided in:
- English, use: “Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français”
- French, use: “This report is also available in English”
Copyright section
The copyright section must include the report’s corresponding:
- Government of Canada catalogue number
- International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- copyright notice with the year of publication
- departmental notice on the rights to reproduce the report
View a template or an example of a copyright section.
Note
To obtain a catalogue number, an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) or an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), submit a request to:
- International Standard Book Number (ISBN) when a single release of a POR report is planned. Government of Canada Publications will automatically provide you with a catalogue number.
- International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) when a POR project includes multiple wave reports. Then contact the Government of Canada Publications at publications.isbn@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca to obtain a catalogue number.
Narrative executive summary
The narrative executive summary must include a(n):
- statement of the research purpose and objectives
- summary of key findings (this element is not required for projects that are based on fieldwork and data tabulation)
- brief description of the methodology used
- statement as to the extent to which the findings can be extrapolated to a broader audience
- outline of how the results were used or how the information is expected to be used
- contract value of the public opinion research study
Political neutrality certification
The supplier must provide a political neutrality certification.
Research findings
Full research findings must be included (except for projects that are based on fieldwork and data tabulation).
Appendices
This section contains the requirements for appendices referring to:
Quantitative research and fieldwork and data tabulation projects
For quantitative research and fieldwork and data tabulation projects, appendices must contain:
- a full set of tabulated data
- sample size, sampling procedures and dates of research fieldwork
- a discussion of the potential for non-response bias
- weighting procedures, the confidence interval and the margin of error
- the response rate and method of calculation
- the research instruments used
- all other information about the execution of the fieldwork that would be needed to replicate the research initiative
Qualitative research
For qualitative research, appendices must contain:
- all research instruments in all languages used and, if applicable, the test material
- all other information about the recruitment or execution of the fieldwork that would be needed to replicate the research initiative
Responsibility for public opinion research content
Federal organizations are solely responsible for the content, presentation, conformance, accessibility and quality of their reports, as outlined in the:
- Public Opinion Research Contract Regulations
- Policy of Communications and Federal Identity
- Directive on the Management of Communications, Appendix C: Mandatory Procedures for Public Opinion Research
- Procedures for Publishing
- Standard on Web Accessibility, section 2.2
- Instructions for submitting public opinion research reports to Library and Archives Canada
For guidance on web accessibility, please consult the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Guidance on Implementing the Standard on Web Accessibility and the manager of your Web Standards Centre of Expertise.
File formats for public opinion research reports
Library and Archives Canada requires submission of public opinion research reports in specific file formats.
To learn more about the process, please consult the instructions for submitting public opinion research reports to Library and Archives Canada.
The political neutrality certification
Each contract includes provisions for the contractor to submit a political neutrality certification.
The certification ensures that any resources from this research project haven’t been used to determine electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, party standings with the electorate, or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.
Below is an example of the certification that must be submitted by the supplier to the department with the deliverables. This certification should also be included in the final report.
Figure 1: Example of a political neutrality certification
Image description
This image includes the following information:
Political Neutrality Certification
I hereby certify as Senior Officer of [insert the name of the research firm] that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity and the Directive on the Management of Communications.
Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate, or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.
Signed:
[insert the name of the senior officer], [insert the title of the senior officer]
[insert the name of the research firm]
Templates and examples of a cover page and a copyright section
Use these templates every time you produce a Government of Canada public opinion research report.
Supplier identifiers such as the corporate logo should not appear on the publication as per the Government of Canada Procedures for Publishing.
Template of a cover page for the final report
[INSERT DEPARTMENTAL SIGNATURE]
[INSERT REPORT TITLE, SPECIFY IF IT IS THE FINAL REPORT OR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY]
Prepared for [INSERT DEPARTMENT NAME]
Supplier: [INSERT SUPPLIER NAME]
Contract number: [INSERT CONTRACT NUMBER]
Contract value: [INSERT CONTRACT VALUE]
Contract award date: [INSERT CONTRACT AWARD DATE]
Delivery date: [INSERT DELIVERY DATE]
Registration number: [INSERT REGISTRATION NUMBER STARTING WITH “POR”]
For more information on this report, please contact [INSERT DEPARTMENT NAME] at: [INSERT GENERIC EMAIL ADDRESS]
Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français.
[INSERT CANADA WORDMARK]
Template of a copyright section
The copyright section that you use may differ from the following template. Please contact your departmental resource for more information.
[INSERT REPORT TITLE, SPECIFY IF IT IS THE FINAL REPORT OR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY]
Prepared for [INSERT DEPARTMENT NAME]
Supplier: [INSERT SUPPLIER]
Registration number: [INSERT REGISTRATION NUMBER STARTING WITH “POR”]
Aussi disponible en français sous le titre [INSERT REPORT TITLE IN FRENCH]
The reproduction of this publication is permitted for personal or public non-commercial purposes. For all other uses, prior written permission must be obtained from [INSERT DEPARTMENT NAME]. For more information, please email the [INSERT CONTACT INFORMATION E.G., GENERIC EMAIL ADDRESS].
Catalogue Number: [INSERT CATALOGUE NUMBER]
ISBN (or ISSN): [INSERT THE NUMBER]
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of [legal name of department], [year of publication]
Examples of a cover page and of a copyright section
The layout of the cover page and of the copyright section for public opinion research reports may differ from the following examples as long as all the required elements are present.
Figure 2: Example of a cover page for the final report
Image description
This image contains the departmental signature of Public Services and Procurement Canada at the top left corner and the Canada wordmark at the bottom right corner. The image also includes the following information:
2022 Canadian Business Perceptions of the Government Procurement System
Final Report
Prepared for Public Services and Procurement Canada
Supplier: Research Firm Inc.
Contract number: 46666-188999/037/XT
Contract value: $75,000
Contract award date: December 1, 2021
Delivery date: August 1, 2022
Registration number: POR 130-21
For more information on this report, please contact Public Services and Procurement Canada at: dgsiopinionpublique.isbpublicopinion@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.
Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français.
Figure 3: Example of a copyright section
Image description
This image includes the following information:
2022 Canadian Business Perceptions of the Government Procurement System
Final Report
Prepared for Public Services and Procurement Canada
Supplier: Research Firm Inc.
Registration number: POR 130-21
Aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Perceptions des entreprises canadiennes sur le système d’approvisionnement du gouvernement 2022.
The reproduction of this publication is permitted for personal or public non-commercial purposes. For all other uses, prior written permission must be obtained from Public Services and Procurement Canada. For more information on this report, please contact Public Services and Procurement Canada at: dgsiopinionpublique.isbpublicopinion@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.
Catalogue Number: P103-10/2022E-PDF
ISBN: 978-0-660-08693-4
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, 2022
Please note that the above examples are fictitious.
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